By Gabrielle. I have two favorite things to tell you about Kelly. One is that she’s an oceanography professor, which sounds all sorts of cool and exciting and rather frightening, if you ask me! And the other is that she lives next door to a Christmas tree farm. Actually, there are three. Because I am really excited to share someone with you who possesses a parenting style I just want to hug. In her words, she measures her success as a parent by this simple idea: if her son skins a knee, he is just as likely to call for his dad as his mom. Brilliant. Please read on to hear how she balances her careers inside and outside the home, and also manages the daily obstacle course through train sets and Lego creations! Parents of little builders, unite! Welcome, Kelly! Hi everyone! I’m Kelly, an oceanography professor and a wife and mom. Being a professor at a major research university is an intense career, combining research driven by competitive external grants with teaching and mentoring of graduate students. In my work, I study how animals in the ocean find food. At home, I am constantly reminded that I do not belong in the kitchen, for everyone’s health and safety! My husband, Chad, is my research assistant, which means that he takes the crazy ideas I come up with and makes them happen: everything from building equipment, ordering supplies, and processing data, to going to sea and maintaining systems. We met when we started working together and I fell in love with his desire to work towards making everyone around him happy and successful, something that makes him excel at his job and as a dad. Chad is thoughtful, funny, and sensitive, traits I am grateful our four and a half year old (make sure you don’t forget the half!) son, Kaelan has inherited. He has also inherited the passion we both share for making things and loves to spend time in our garage/machine shop working alongside us, playing with Legos, building machines by combining every building material in the house, and designing complex train tracks. …

Living With Kids: Kelly Benoit-BirdRead More »

Photo and text by Gabrielle. I present to you another installment of random thoughts that have been on my mind and don’t quite merit individual blog posts. : ) 1) Yesterday morning, my wonderful mother-in-law, Julia Blair ended up in the ICU. Reports are that she is stable now, but will be in the hospital for several more days. Apparently she is in very good spirits. My sister-in-law Margaret said that when the nurse came in for the necessary tests and asked Julia the normal questions (“When were you born?” “Do you know where you are?” “Do you remember what happened?”) Mom answered all of them well, and then said, “Now, tell me about you.” 2) The other day, my friend Karey posted a quote on Instagram and it instantly plunged me into all sorts of emotions. I love it so much! I’d love to hear your thoughts on it: I hope that in the future they invent a small golden light that follows you everywhere and when something is about to end, it shines brightly so you know it’s about to end. And if you’re never going to see someone again, it’ll shine brightly and both of you can be polite and say, “It was nice to have you in my life while I did, good luck with everything that happens after now.” And maybe if you’re never going to eat at the same restaurant again, it’ll shine and you can order everything off the menu you’ve never tried. Maybe, if someone’s about to buy your car, the light will shine and you can take it for one last spin. Maybe, if you’re with a group of friends who’ll never be together again, all your lights will shine at the same time and you’ll know, and then you can hold each other and whisper, “This was so good. Oh my God, this was so good.” — Iain Thomas, I Wrote This For You 3) On Thursday last week, a small dog showed up at our house in the late afternoon. She had a collar and tags. She was hungry and scared, so we fed her, but she was shaking hard and wouldn’t let us get close to her (close enough to check her tags) for a couple of hours. Eventually we were able to get her name — it’s Chiqui! — and her owner’s number from the tags. We called and left a message, but didn’t get an answer back. So we made a little bed for her and she stayed over. According to her tags, her home is about 4 miles from our house. The kids were over the moon to have such a cute little sleepover guest! The next morning, we sent the kids to school, we left another message for Chiqui’s owner, and Chiqui wanted to snuggle with me on the sofa while I worked. But the poor girl was filthy dirty. We could smell her from a mile away and when I petted her, my hand would turn black from a layer of city grime all over her. I wanted to get her clean, but had never given a dog a bath before! So I asked my Facebook friends for advice and happily, the bath was a success. Chiqui was a total champ. Afterwards, she settled right down on my lap. Shortly after the bath, we heard from the owner! She is traveling in Italy, and her friends, who live just a few minutes from us, are taking care of Chiqui. They came right over to pick her up, and they brought another dog who lives with Chiqui as well. Chiqui was DELIGHTED to see them. And I was glad we were sending her off in good hands. When the kids got home from school that day, and Chiqui was gone, little June was absolutely broken hearted. I didn’t realize how attached she had gotten in such a short time. In June’s head I think she figured Chiqui had been fully adopted by our family. It ended up being a happy little adventure in our week, and it has me wondering if it’s time to get a dog. But that’s a topic for another time. Hah! 4) Today marks the 28th day I’ve gone to the gym since August 29th. Which means this is the most consistent I’ve been about working out since high school! So I’m feeling the need to give myself some high fives. Woo hoo! 5) As I mentioned on Friday, one of my weekend goals was about mums. But I did some shopping and can’t seem to find good-looking ones anywhere. Is it just my neighborhood? Do mums not do well in the Bay Area? Or maybe I just need to find a better nursery. 6) I added Halloween links to my sidebar if you need some inspiration. And costumes have mostly been decided. It sounds like June is going with mermaid, Betty with Pippi Longstocking, and Oscar wants to be a pillow monster. I don’t know he’s picturing when he says pillow monster, but I’m sure it will be fantastic. How about your kids? That’s all for now. As usual, feel free to respond to any topic above, or introduce an entirely different topic. I like it when these posts become an open thread! P.S. — Find other random thoughts posts here.

This content was created in partnership with Ford to help make creativity a part of every drive. It’s time for the Day Two report on our trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park. (You can find the Day One report here .) Oscar (he’s number four of six) is here as a Guest Blogger to help me out: Hi! I’m Oscar Blair. I’m ten years old. I’m excited to be a Guest Blogger! I get to tell you about Day Two of our road trip. Day Two was mostly about hiking. And about throwing snowballs! (Oh. And I fell in a lake too! More about that later.) The hike we went on was to a place called Bumpass Hell. It’s called that because there was a guy with the last name Bumpass, and he was showing people around and telling them to be very careful, because the ground was unstable. Then, the ground gave way and his leg fell into one of the boiling mud pits. He got a serious burn! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! It was weird because there was lots of snow, but it was right next to boiling mud pits — in the summer! And it felt warm outside. I don’t know if it was old snow from last winter, or if there was an early storm. But June kept saying, “Hey Dad, are you hot?” And then Dad would say, “Yes!” And then June would throw a snowball at him! That happened like a hundred times. …

Volcano Adventure! Day TwoRead More »

Photos and text by Gabrielle. This content was created in partnership with Ford to help make creativity a part of every drive. As promised, I wanted to report on our trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Holy moly it was a great little trip! Two things before I jump into the report: First, I asked my kids to be my Guest Bloggers and help me report about the trip. So Olive is helping me with this report about Day 1, and Oscar is helping me with a report about Day 2. The second fun thing is Ford lent us a new 2016 Explorer for our adventure. It’s a six seater, and we’re a family of 8, so at first I was like aw shucks, I don’t think we can make it work. But then we found out Maude had a cross-country commitment that weekend, and Ralph had a video job that weekend, and they both needed to stay home. At which point we said, “Well then heck yes! Let’s try the Explorer!” So off we went on a little weekend adventure. And now I’ll hand the report to Olive Blair: Olive Blair here. I’m 14 years old and I’ve never been a guest blogger before. But I am happy to tell you all about the first day of our trip! We got to Lassen National Park after about a 4-hour drive from Oakland. We put all our suitcases in our hotel room and headed straight for the park. Once we got there, we stopped at the visitor center but it was closed, so we decided to do some exploring on our own. First we found this hot spot called Sulphur Works. It was really cool. It had bubbling mud and it smelled like eggs. We just sat and stared at it for like 10 minutes because it was so cool. My mom shared a video of the bubbling here. We later found out the mud bubbles because of magma six miles below the surface. We also did a little hiking in that area. You’ll note from Oscar’s stance that hiking on volcanos makes you feel pretty unstoppable!! …

Volcano Adventure! Day OneRead More »

Photo and text by Gabrielle. Since the time little June first began to talk, she’s said the word ‘smarshmellows’ instead of ‘marshmallows’. It’s a pretty darn adorable mispronunciation. Knowing she is my youngest, and wanting to cherish every little bit of her childhood, I’ve never had the heart to correct her. : ) But a couple days ago, she asked for “a cup of hot cocoa with 4 smarshmellows, I mean marshmallows.” And I had to stop myself from going into the other room to weep because I could hardly bear how fast she’s growing up. How about you? Any sweet mispronunciations that your little ones are holding on to? Or any that are gone now, but that you remember with a little flutter in your heart? I posted this on Facebook and Instagram and I LOVE reading everybody’s reports. I’d love to hear yours too! P.S. — The kids went to gymnastics yesterday, and I realized June still has a mispronunciation! She calls it joo-nastics. 

Photos and text by Gabrielle. It’s been about 5 weeks since our anniversary trip to Lake Louise, but I wanted to tell you all about it before I forget my best tips — and also because it’s fun to write it up and remember our little getaway. Gosh it was a good trip! When we planned it, we were hoping for a romantic destination — gorgeous hotel room, room service (it was our 20th anniversary after all). But we were also interested in using this getaway to do a lot of planning and goal-making for our next 20 years — so we wanted a place where we didn’t have a mile long wishlist of things we wanted to see. Turns out Lake Louise was perfect! We didn’t really know anything about the area at all before we booked our room. I’ve mentioned it before, but the only reason I even knew about it, is because I had seen photos in an issue of Victoria magazine when I was 19 years old. Hah! We flew into Calgary, then rented a car and drove to Lake Louise — about two hours away. Lake Louise is both the name of the little village near the lake, and also the name of the actual lake. The photos in my memory were so magical that I was more than content with the idea of getting to see the lake, and then sitting in the hotel room working on goals for the rest of the trip. That’s not what happened, but since I didn’t know anything about the area, there was nothing but “see the lake” as far as my destination expectations were concerned. And that lake! I was sure it couldn’t be as beautiful as it was in pictures, so I actually tried to have low expectations as we approached. But there was no need. Lake Louise is so beautiful it almost looks pretend. It’s stunning! It’s an adventurous sort of place. If there are theaters or museums or fancy shopping around, I didn’t notice them — they were definitely not the focus. Here it’s all about taking in the magnificent scenery and hiking and getting out on the water. And we did all of that — plus, also worked on our goals. It was pretty much heaven! …

Travel to Lake Louise & Do These 5 ThingsRead More »

By Gabrielle. You’re about to meet Lindsey’s house, and I know you’re going to be better for it. This is a structure that helped Lindsey and her family through some out-of-the-ordinary life events, provided hope when things seemed a little hopeless, and even taught her to rely on her neighbors when she found herself alone and in need of help. It’s a very good house. You’ll see. Oh! And if you’re curious about how much it costs to buy a house like this one in Virginia, Lindsey discusses pricing. (I love when people share numbers, don’t you?!) Welcome, Lindsey! When you meet someone in the D.C. area, you will be asked what you do for a living. When you meet someone in Malawi, Africa, where there’s a non-profit that my husband helped found, you will be asked how your family is. I think both are important to understanding who people are. I had a vision in college of being a freelance magazine writer while I raised my kids. I hadn’t yet met my husband, but when we did meet, it all crystallized. I was working at my first job as an editor of a design magazine, and he was finishing seminary. He had a dream of finding a strong wife to raise his kids alongside, while he would be a missionary, pastor, and military chaplain — in no particular order! He loved that I had a career I was passionate about. Within three months, we were ring shopping. Two months later, we were engaged. It was a whirlwind romance and I guess it was only a foretaste of all the whirlwinds to come! I moved to Washington, D.C., to live with a friend from college while we were engaged. I was looking for a job in journalism about the home industry, but since it was the very beginning of the recession, there was nothing out there. After we got married, all we had was an apartment, a job at a bookstore, and a job at Starbucks. We would sit on our floor (no furniture!) and watch TV while we ate fruit snacks from Costco. It was such a sweet time. We had planned to go house shopping with a realtor on what ended up being the day that I needed surgery. I was 16 weeks pregnant and during a standard ultrasound, a tumor had been discovered — a tumor that an oncologist wanted to remove for testing as soon as possible. I potentially had cancer and the baby was potentially at risk of miscarriage during the surgery. Needless to say, my husband and I were apprehensive of the surgery scheduled that night, but decided to go house shopping anyway to take our minds off of things. We looked at four houses in various states of disrepair – nope, nope, nope, nope – and this was the fifth one. I knew it was the house meant for us right away. …

Living With Kids: Lindsey RobertsRead More »

By Gabrielle. My friend, Anne Weil of Flax & Twine, just came out with a new book that I can’t wait to tell you about! It’s called Knitting Without Needles. If you’ve ever wanted to try knitting but feel a bit intimidated, then this book is for you. Because it’s made for Non-Knitters and Knitters alike! The projects are totally doable, and because so many of them use big yarns, they make a big impact. When you’re thinking about making gifts for the holidays, this book is a fantastic resource for easy and quick projects. And Knitting Without Needles is a great way to bring chunky knits (which are all the rage!) into your home without the big price tag. The book is filled with tons of cool projects, including this happy throw rug and these chunky pillows: I’m feeling like a lucky duck today, because I get to share instructions for one of the projects from the book with you! You can make the fantastic Wired Word shown at the top of this post! I think it would be so cute in a nursery or a reading nook. Bisous means kisses in French, but you can write anything you like. Any word, any color, any script. The possibilities are endless! …

DIY: Wired Word for Your WallRead More »

By Gabrielle. Every once in a while, a former home tour guide checks in with a note that they’ve moved or redecorated or added a baby and finally there’s a girl in the house! And sometimes, there’s a note from one whose life turned a little sideways for a while but she’s happy to report she’s right side up again. That’s when I clap silently at my desk and offer up a “Yay, you!” It is always good to check in on each other. I was especially pleased when Wendy did, and I know you will be, too. Hers was a popular, much Pinterested home tour! Yet somehow, this one seems even more fabulous. There are built-in bunks and a turquoise shade that makes me crave a turquoise wall. Come see, and please help me welcome back Wendy! I am so glad to be back here on Design Mom sharing my new house with all of you! A lot has changed since the last time I visited, so let me re-introduce myself and my family. I am Wendy Hyde, an interior designer, blogger, and single mom of four amazing kids. Yes, single mom. More on that in a minute. My oldest son is a sophomore in high school, an amazing film maker, and a talented violinist. My daughter is in junior high. She is good and kind. She loves to dance and can often be found tumbling in the living room. And I have two little boys only 18 months apart. The older of the two is in fourth grade. He is sensitive, but quick-witted and hilarious. He wants to be an author and illustrator when he grows up, and I have no doubt that he will be! And then there’s my youngest who is in third grade and loves sports of all kinds. He is full of energy and humor, and he keeps us all on our toes. …

Living With Kids: Wendy Hyde, 2.0Read More »

By Gabrielle. Photo from a lovely vow renewal shot by Studio B. Photography. As I mentioned, last month was our 20th wedding anniversary. Twenty years seems like a solid number and earlier this year, we talked about maybe having a vow renewal to mark the day. But when I started picturing what that might look like — who would come, where we would have it, would I wear a wedding dress? — I came up a bit blank. I’ve never actually been to a vow renewal, and can’t think of anyone I know personally who has done a vow renewal, so the only images that come to my mind are things I’ve seen in wedding magazines, or on Pinterest. (Those images are lovely by the way!) My first instinct is that I love the idea of vow renewals! For us, the pros of a vow renewal would be things like a good excuse to invite everyone we love to a big party, a chance to have a redo on wedding photos (alas, we only have a couple of images from our wedding day — a story for another time), and we like the idea of doing something intentional to celebrate each other and our marriage — we work hard on our marriage, and marking major milestones seems like a good way to help keep it strong. But there are cons too. I wouldn’t want anyone to feel pressure to travel or use vacation days for a party like this. A party that seems “optional” for us to throw. (I know a wedding reception/party is technically also optional, but it feels less so to me. Probably because it’s such a long-standing established tradition.) Also, like any event, a vow renewal would require time, effort and expense (especially if I wanted to make it as pretty as all those inspiration photos). Would we rather take a trip instead? I think I also feel a general awkwardness about have a gathering that could potentially feel very “look at me! look at me!”. The funny thing is, even though I have those worries for our own someday-vow-renewal, if friends invited us to theirs, I would feel nothing but joy and excitement for them! And I would be honored to be invited. Which makes me think my worries are ultimately silly. I’d love your thoughts on the subject. Do you see yourself ever having a vow renewal? Or have you had one already? (If yes, I’d love to hear your favorite parts!) Is there a specific anniversary that you feel is the best fit for a vow renewal? 10 years? 50 years? And would you favor a big event or something really small? (I read about this family who did a vow renewal and it was just for themselves and their kids — a party of four.) Do you see vow renewals as a chance to try party ideas you didn’t get to use at your original wedding? Or maybe a chance to publicly honor your spouse and say nice things about him or her? Overall, do you favor the idea of vow renewals, or feel that they are definitely not something you’d want to do? I’d love to hear!

Photos and text by Gabrielle. Woo hoo! The annual What to Wear to School photos are ready!! For those of you who are new here, I’ve been writing What to Wear to School posts basically since I started blogging. You can find them all here. The series has changed and evolved over the years, and this year is no exception. For the last two years, I did 3 posts featuring two kids in each. But we’ve made some big changes: 1) Now that he’s a college boy, Ralph has officially retired from the series. 2) Since Oscar, Betty and June are all in the same school for the first time since we moved here (and probably the last time — Oscar is off to middle school next year), I thought it would be fun to feature them all in one post: What to Wear to Elementary School! I went on back-to-school shopping dates with each of the kids, and then we came home and put together 4 outfits for each of them. Oscar is ten, and in 5th grade. Betty is nine, and in 4th grade. June is five, and in Kindergarten. Read to jump in? Let’s do this! …

What to Wear to Elementary SchoolRead More »

Photos and text by Gabrielle. Happy day after Labor Day! Today feels like a good day to give you a little report on what’s been going on at our house. – I got my haircut! It feels gooood. Chopped off all the ragged stuff. And I had my roots colored too. I’m liking this new length a lot. It’s long enough that I can still pull it into a ponytail, but it doesn’t feel as heavy on my head. I can’t claim to be a selfie-pro, but I snapped a couple of shots to show you. I’m still thinking a pixie is next. Maybe just in time for Alt Summit in January! – School has been in for two weeks already, but the Tuesday after Labor Day always feels like the “real” first day of school to me. At the elementary school, it was “early out” for the first two weeks, so today is the first day our youngest three will stay at school for a full day. And it’s supposed to be super hot here this week. I’m thinking up fun ways to greet them after school that will help them cool down, and I’m grateful it’s a short week! – Speaking of ways to cool down, last week, Jordan, Paul and Liz, plus their kids, surprised us with a late afternoon water balloon attack. It was awesome! They snuck a basket of water balloons to our front door, kept a basket of balloons for themselves, and then they hid. Next, Jordan texted us and told him to open our door. Our kids had just enough time to notice the basket of water balloons (the water balloons on the front porch were for us to throw) before they were attacked, and a fantastic cousins water balloon battle ensued. It was epic! If you have the opportunity to do this for a family you love, go for it! So much fun for everyone, and it brightened up an otherwise totally average school day. By the way, Jordan said the key to making this an easy, fun thing, is this invention. It fills 100 water balloons in 60 seconds! And ties them too!! – Yesterday was a particularly good day. Some of the highlights: One of our favorite familys came over to try out the bridge and zipline. We loved hanging out with them — and their son, who is just six, climbed the rope! It’s a challenging thing to do, and he’s the youngest to attempt it. Very exciting. While they were here, Maude made rice crispie treats. (Sidenote: I love rice crispie treats way too much.) Our recipe is 1 full box of rice crispies (12 oz size), 1 full bag of mini marshmellows (the bigger 16 oz bag), and 1 full cube of butter. Heaven! For lunch, we took the ferry from Oakland to San Francisco. It was gorgeous out! And the wind on the ferry felt amazing. The ferry takes you very close to the Oakland cranes. The cranes are endlessly appealing to me. I wish there was a touristy option that allowed people to climb one or interact with one. They are so cool! The ferry takes you right under the Bay Bridge and drops you off at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. We walked around the Ferry Building, grabbed food from 3 different shops, and had a little picnic by the water. Then we took the ferry back to Oakland. By then, the day had really heated up, and we were all craving a dip in some cool water. Ben Blair remembered Lake Anza. It’s a little lake in the Berkeley Hills, surrounded by trees, and just a few minutes from Oakland. Really lovely. The water was cold! Perfect for the hot day. It was the first time we swam there, but it’s so close, I know we’ll be back. On the way home, we stopped to watch the sunset, and picked up pizza for dinner. Oh man. I LOVED yesterday. It was just a really, really good day. (Here’s a very short video of us at the lake.) – I started going to the gym. I’ve gone Monday through Saturday. Nine workouts so far. I have historically not liked going to the gym at all, so nine days is something! I’m trying a new-to-me workout. If I’m able to stick with it, I’ll tell you more about it. : ) One funny thing is that I am such a non-exerciser that I don’t really own any workout clothes at the moment, so I’m using some hand-me-downs from Maude, and I wear the same outfit everyday. I told myself that if I workout for four weeks, my reward will be a new workout getup. – I tried my first Periscope Broadcast — you can watch Oscar and Olive climb our trees, cross the hanging bridge, zip line across the yard, and repel down. All from 30 feet above the ground! BUT the link is only live for 24 hours. The video will expire (and disappear) around 4:30p PST. – Lastly, I finished All the Light We Cannot See over the weekend. It’s so good. I loved reading it. Highly recommend! Book club is tonight — should be a fun gathering. And there’s my random report for the month. Feel free to comment on any topic above — or consider this an open thread and bring up a completely different topic. I can’t wait to hear what’s on your mind!

By Gabrielle. Adorable family shots by Adam Graham. Have you ever heard the saying “Love doesn’t have any borders?” It’s a common thought in Germany, brought to us by Petra, a Munich native who fell in love with a Canadian, and eventually decided to move from a city of almost two million people to a small town called Yarmouth in Southwestern Nova Scotia where the highways end. Literally. She’s also the beaming owner of 123 Lausbua, a kids’ clothing company whose wares are mostly designed by Lili. I should mention that Lili is almost six and, as it happens, very good at her job. (And as long as we’re learning a spot of German today, lausbua means rascal!) There’s more to this story, including a lot of happy corners and a lake for a front yard. You’re going to enjoy this one, I just know it. Welcome, Petra! If you would have asked me 20 years ago where I would see myself living in the future, my answer sure wouldn’t have been Nova Scotia! Coming from a small town in Southern Germany, I didn’t even know where Canada’s third smallest province is. Traveling has always been a passion of mine but I had never made it this far East in Canada. Plus, I love the sunshine and my dreams always included living in the South. Now I’ve been living here for almost ten years and I love it. We might not have sunshine every day, but we have the beaches which were also a big part of my dreams! We are a family of four. There’s Jamie, my husband, who is a software developer by trade and the handiest man — besides my grandfather — I have ever known. He can build or do anything. He’s also my best friend and the person I love to spend my time with. …

Living With Kids: Petra EyreRead More »

By Gabrielle. Photos by Lisa Leckie. I love the design of Etienne’s home. To me, it seems like a complicated, layered, and yet still somewhat of a blank canvas that’s able to hold bold and colorful and fresh family memories, day after day. I tour through her home and I spy spots to cozy up whenever the urge to cozy up strikes, books well within reach, and toys that add to the decor, and I find myself breathing a contented sigh. But then I see her views, and sigh again. I highly doubt I’d ever need a piece of art or a television with those stunning scenes peeking in every window. And speaking of sighing, there’s also this inspired, break-your-heart-a-little advice from Etienne’s dad to his young artist: “Even if something has been made before, it hasn’t been made by you.” I’m borrowing that one, won’t you? Welcome, Etienne! I am the daughter of a poet and an accountant. This means that I am a dreamer and overly practical all the the same time. I am deeply passionate just about everything I do, and live for inspiration. If I am not thinking about the next big thing, I get bored. I am a design strategist, and formerly an interior designer and educator. My husband is a design manager of the growth team at Uber, was recently at Apple, and has a background in branding and advertising. We have two hilarious sons, Lucian is six and Julian is three. We all love kung fu, ice cream cones (cones more than the ice cream part), and family dance-offs to 80’s hip-hop. …

Living With Kids: Etienne FangRead More »

Photo and text by Gabrielle. In July, you may remember I wrote a post with an identical title, and I’m toying with making it a regular once-a-month feature. In the old blogging days, before Instagram and Facebook and Pinterest, random thoughts like these might have become short blog posts. Those were the days where I would post on the blog 3 or more times a day! Things have changed and now my blogging is much more long-form — with lots of words, or lots of photos, or both. And those shorter posts have migrated to my social media accounts. But sometimes I miss having those shorter posts here on the blog — because I know there are Design Mom readers who don’t follow along on social media. So a compilation post like this could be a good way to share all those little thoughts without overwhelming people with too many posts. And it’s also a way to let people share their thoughts on all sorts of topics. We’ll see. As you know, it’s always a big experiment for me. : ) On to the randomness! 1) The first thing I’m dying to tell you is that the backyard bridge is done! And the zip line is up! I’m super excited to share all the details with you. If I’ve hesitated, it’s because I’m finding it’s hard to capture a full photo that gives a sense of the scale — though I keep trying. I suppose I just need to share what I have so far. The whole thing is pretty dang fantastic, and the additions have added a major does of magic to the yard. If you’re feeling impatient for the post, definitely take a look at Instagram — I’ve shared (and continue to share) lots of photos there. 2) Summer is coming to an end. It’s been a good summer. Very laid back. And I’m not ready to face the daily school grind again. I’m holding on to these last two weeks of summer vacation with everything I’ve got! We signed up the youngest four for one more session of swimming lessons, and I’ve put a moratorium on screen time so that the kids get outside as much as possible. (Honestly, with the new bridge and zipline, it’s not that hard to tempt them to get out doors.) 3) Next week is our wedding anniversary! It’s a big one and we wanted to make sure we marked it properly, so Ben Blair and I (just the two of us!) are heading out on a little getaway. We’re going to Lake Louise in Canada! It is hard to express how excited I am about this little trip. I’ve never been to Lake Louise, but I read about it when I was 19 year old — it was featured in a fashion article in the now defunct Victoria magazine. (Do any of you remember that magazine? I LOVED it!) I was so taken with the images of the mountain lake that I immediately got on the phone with the resort there to see if they were hiring. I was picturing a summer job in the mountains! But alas, it was quickly established that unless I had a work visa, I couldn’t get a job in Canada. It was the first time I had ever heard of a work visa. I had no idea up until then. Hah! And though I couldn’t go there for work, I’ve had Lake Louise on my travel wish list ever since. Have you ever been? Please tell me it’s as awesome in real life as it is in my head! 4) But: I seemed to have lost my passport!!! And I’ve never lost my passport. I’m actually pretty decent at keeping track of my stuff and I don’t typically lose things at all. I’m mystified. I remember having it at Alt Summer in June, but I haven’t seen it since. And it’s not in the usual spot where I keep it. So now I need to make a last minute appointment in San Francisco at the passport office. I’m nervous this won’t work out and so I’m trying not to think about it and I keep searching new places in the house hoping my passport isn’t lost after all. It’s so last minute. We leave on Sunday! But I had no idea the passport was missing. UPDATE: Passport found!! Huge sigh of relief. 5) We started back to school dates. I go shopping with each kid one-on-one. We pick out something for the first day of school and get a cupcake or go out to lunch. It’s a great way to connect with each child individually and hear their thoughts, hopes and fears about the upcoming school year. Since I’m traveling next week, this is the key week for making it happen. Do you do something similar? It’s a pretty new tradition for us. We only started these back to school dates when we moved here. But the kids already seem to think of this as a long-standing tradition. 6) Maude is very close to getting her license. She has a permit and asks to drive at every opportunity — and of course, we want her to get as much time behind the wheel as possible. I feel like driving well is so much about logging hours. Right? Not much to report on this. Just something that’s on my mind. 7) On Friday, we took a break from backyard construction and went to the beach. We tried a new-to-us beach on Half Moon Bay called Miramar. You can see it in the photo at top. The pros: beautiful, plenty of space, great waves, clean sand. The cons: no ice cream shack or surfboard rentals right on the beach. Apparently it’s known as a surfing beach — and there was a surf camp going on while we were there. We loved it and will definitely be back. 8) Erin Conner, the architect I mentioned last month, is coming to take measurements on Wednesday morning. So awesome! I grin every time I think about the upcoming transformation in the master bedroom and bath. I know it’s going to be a ton of work, and totally disruptive. But worth it! 9) Remember I mentioned the kids have been taking sailing lessons? Well, Ben Blair has too. And suddenly, we now sail!! We’re totally beginners of course, but we’ve spent two afternoons with rented sail boats on Lake Merritt here in Oakland so we can practice. (I say we, but I mean the family, and not me — I haven’t taken any lessons at all yet.) The thing that has surprised me the most: how much vocabulary there is that is related to sailing only. I feel like I’m learning a new language. Hah! The other thing that has been a wonderful surprise: how much we love sailing. We love it so much that we’re killing ourselves that we didn’t start lessons the moment we moved here — it feels like wasted time. Because being able to sail is an amazing way to take advantage of one of the best parts of living here: the water! Do you have any experience sailing? We’re laughing, because we’re so new to it but find ourselves already scheming about sailing off to exotic locales. Anyway. As I said, lots of randomness. Feel free to comment on any topic above — or consider this an open thread and bring up a completely different topic. I can’t wait to hear what’s on your mind!

By Gabrielle. Have you ever thought about what your decor style says about you and your family? When guests walk through your front door, what do you think they can instantly sense about you? Is the first impression you make modern and clean, with any trace of a childhood hidden in a sleek cabinet system… or the basement? Perhaps guests sigh when they walk in, instantly craving whatever peaceful design you’ve got going. Or maybe you’re sporty and just can’t escape a home decor accessorized by the sticks and balls and cleats and — oh my, watch your step — more balls! Maybe you like blue. Every shade. In Callie’s case, her family’s style is true throughout. I think we can get to know her by one or two or 20 glimpses of her home. She keeps her memories and crafts in the open, she loves a good collection, and she’s not afraid of putting reminders on the wall in case anyone loses the plot! She’s consistent in her message, which is the big sign that she’s clearly found her most-loved style and is sticking with it. That’s a nice thing when it happens, don’t you think? Come see her house! Welcome, Callie! We are a family of six. My husband, Steve, and I have four children. Jakob is our responsible 12 year old, Isabelle is our passionate nine year old, Karter is our entertaining and humorous seven year old, and Beckett is adventurous two year old. As a family, we enjoy reading together, outdoor adventures, arts and crafts, sports, and music. There is a lot of hustle and bustle within the walls of our home. A lot of play, a lot of noise, a lot of messes to clean up, and a lot of love. We live in the Pacific Northwest in a city just outside of Portland. Both my husband and I grew up in the area, and we love Oregon. My husband grew up on five acres out in the woods and has always wanted property for our children to enjoy. With his business, we have needed to live closer to the city and our home was a unique find — a home with property close to the city. We have loved the space, the view, all the trees, and surrounding green space. …

Living With Kids: Callie MoonRead More »

By Gabrielle. At some point during the process of preparing these tours for publication, I usually ask our tour guides for just one more photo or just one more story or just a few more sentences about that sweet thing they mentioned in passing. Or “Where did you get those vases, because they’re super chic?” In Shelly’s case, I simply asked for a few more close-ups of her stunning gallery wall plus maybe a bookshelf. And this is when she told me she was in the process of moving out of this home, away from her stunning gallery wall plus definitely her bookshelf! I still wanted to show you her home and share her words, because she has a lot to say about following our gut instincts and being brave and tackling DIY even if it scares the heck out of us. Also, there’s that gallery wall. Please welcome Shelley as she takes us on one final tour of her home! She’s been in her new state for a day as of this writing, and so far, so good. Hello! I’m Shelly and I’m living in Illinois with my best friend, lil bean, and pup. I could gush about my family all day. My husband, Jeffrey, and I met at Purdue where I fell head over heels for him and his pet bunny. My mood is VERY much affected by his, which is good because he is the yin (calm/quiet/thoughtful/patient) to my yang (anxious/loud/quick to speak/impatient). He is a curious learner who can figure out how to do/build/navigate just about anything, but most of all, he makes me laugh. My daughter makes us both laugh. Constantly. She is almost two years old, and such an empathetic, kind-hearted child. She’s great for a pat on the back, share of her cookie, or silly face to make you laugh. My husband has instilled his love of books while I have instilled my love of dancing in her. …

Living With Kids: Shelly BergmanRead More »

By Gabrielle. When we last visited Meghann in Amsterdam, I made her promise to show us around her new home once she moved to Saba. (Quick geography primer: Saba is a Caribbean island and the smallest special municipality of the Netherlands. It consists largely of the potentially active volcano, Mount Scenery, which at 2,910 feet, is the highest point within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. There is no crime, little traffic, and a close-knit local community. It sounds like Heaven, doesn’t it?) I couldn’t wait to hear all about how they adjusted, get a first-hand peek into what homes look like on the island, and how it feels to live on a volcano! With 2,000 other people! (Are the city dwellers out there choking right now?! Hah!) I’m so excited to share Meghann with you all again. Welcome, Meghann! Except for my family — my husband, Koen, and our kids Tipp and Loula — just about everything has changed from my last appearance on Design Mom! We went from city living in a densely populated, super flat country where there were more bikes than people and where sweaters are worn for more than half the year, to a sparsely populated volcano in the Caribbean particularly known for diving in its underwater world. Everything in life feels pretty new right now. Even before we got married, we’d always thought we’d move abroad for our jobs for some time. We had travelled a lot, both before we met, together as a couple and also with our kids. In 2012, we even had the opportunity to live abroad for my job for six months. While I was starting to think that maybe I was fine just staying in Amsterdam for the rest of our lives, Koen was starting to get the itch to go. He was also ready for a new professional challenge. …

Living With Kids: Meghann Halfmoon, Part TwoRead More »

Photos and text by Gabrielle. I get emails about choosing a school all the time, and I’ve had a draft of this post written up for a full year! But I’ve hesitated to publish this because it’s such a stressful topic for so many people, and I don’t want to inadvertently add to anyone’s stress. Please, if you start reading this and you’re not into it, just skip it and move on. I promise, this is not a directive on how to pick a school, and I don’t claim to know where your particular child should go to school. This is just my thoughts on the topic for my own family. For me, realizing that I wasn’t willing to stress about choosing a school, started when we lived in New York. People that live in New York are crazy when it comes to schools. I’m not sure that statement is even up for argument. And I don’t blame them. It’s intense. Our oldest turned 4 the month we moved there and school started a few weeks afterward. As we settled in, every time we met someone new the big question was: Where is Ralph going to preschool? And the stress wasn’t because we lived in Manhattan. We were in a little town just north of the Bronx, called Tuckahoe. Since Ben Blair was starting his graduate work at Columbia, and I had baby number 3 a few weeks after we moved in, money was tight, and our only considerations for pre-school were essentially that it be cheap or free. You can imagine my shock when I found out that it wasn’t uncommon in our area for people to pay $20,000 or more per year for pre-school tuition. And these weren’t imaginary people with private jets. These were my friends and neighbors who didn’t drive fancy cars or take exotic vacations. …

Why We Don’t Stress Out About Choosing a SchoolRead More »

Photo and text by Gabrielle. Friends. It’s my blogging anniversary! Nine years ago today, I started Design Mom (here’s a link to my very first post). Nine Years! Over 6000 published posts. And another 60+ in drafts from over the years that may or may not ever see the light of day. There are all sorts of related things I want to talk to you about. Things like the awesome phone call I had this morning concerning a super cool new series for the blog. I want to tell you about the insanely talented designer I reached out to for a blog redesign. I want to tell you about the podcast on parenting that Ben Blair and I are thinking about starting. (Sidenote: Would that interest any of you?). I want to to discuss blogging in general; how it’s changed, how it’s remained the same. I would love to reminisce too! I want to remember when I used to have “guest moms”. I want to think about the first house tour (there have since been 195!), the long-running Secrets to Living Well column, the DIY posts. I want to ponder 2013 — the year I had a ton of regular contributors. I want to make a list of significant blog moments (things like the first giveaway, and the first award). I want to think about all of the different people who have helped make this website grow and thrive. And I want to hear how long you’ve been reading! Are you new to Design Mom? Have you been reading since New York? Do you remember when Flora June was born in Colorado? Did you start reading when we lived in France? Do any of you remember the Ask Design Mom posts? I’m fully aware that this blog would be nothing without YOU, the readers. And I’m forever grateful. I mean it from the bottom of my heart (and understand how cheesy that sounds, but it’s true). Thank you for reading! P.S. — One of our favorite families is visiting from Utah, and we’re spending the day in San Francisco, but I’ll be thinking of the remarkable Design Mom Community all day, and promise to jump into the conversation as soon as I’m back at my desk.